Waterlands

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Greater amberjackClosed

Cape · Florida

Shell Point

27.92°N · 82.84°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 6 PM · Greater amberjack

77/100Great
Now
206 AM EST
Best window
5-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
High2.5 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: today · 77

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score20Poor
Tide2.5 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind4 kn NEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast74% chance of rain
Water74°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Greater amberjack

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Oct 14, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Executive Order 26-25 closes Gulf state waters from October 14, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The order itself says it expires November 1, 2026, so check with FWC for the status after that date.

From FWC Executive Order 26-25: Gulf greater amberjack closure, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Crevalle jack Retention open
  • Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
  • Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Closed (No retention)
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in Florida →

Spot profile

Shell Point

Depth
1-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Shell Point

Shell Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and sheepshead. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Greater amberjack
Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Clearwater Pass

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    78
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 78
    • Florida pompano 76
    • Common snook 75

    4 kt NEL 12:30 PM · 0.5 ftH 7:42 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Point Pleasant

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Common snook 64

    4 kt NEL 1:20 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:10 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Howard Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Common snook 64

    4 kt NEL 1:20 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:10 PM · 2.0 ft

  • McKay Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    69
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Spanish mackerel 58
    • Common snook 57

    4 kt NEL 2:02 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:01 PM · 2.0 ft

Open in the tide map

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with FWC before you keep a fish.